Need some opinions for a little more life to the aquarium

Hey guys, it's my first post here and I just moved over to a 20 gallon tank from my previous 10 gallon set up.. I currently have a flame red dwarf gourami, 2 sunburst platys, 3 guppies, a Cory cat, and 2 Otto cats and am looking for opinions for maybe some other kinds of fish I could have in this set up.. It just feels kind of bare to me. I was planning on a couple more Cory's.

Right, I've read that too. Also someone told me if I had three of each they would be fine so I was going to pick up a couple Cory's and one more Otto I was thinking, I'm just looking for some fish with good personality

The "recommended" number of cories is a minimum of six, but if you add just two more cories of the same species with the one you have, it will be two times happier than it is now. And at one or two more ottos will give you the two you already have more to play with.

That's a good way to think of it, my 10 gallon started to get diatoms and I got the Otto's to take care of my 10s algae then my wife surprised me with a full 20 gallon set up so there's nothing for them to eat in my new 20 but the algae thins and wafers I bought so I feel kinda bad for them :/

That's a good way to think of it, my 10 gallon started to get diatoms and I got the Otto's to take care of my 10s algae then my wife surprised me with a full 20 gallon set up so there's nothing for them to eat in my new 20 but the algae thins and wafers I bought so I feel kinda bad for them :/

Click to expand...

Not part of the original question but it's usually best not to add fish to take care of an algae problem. The cause of the algae quite often turns out to be the fish so adding more only makes the problem worse!

How about adding a couple of Mystery Snails or bigger shrimp? The snails especially are a blast to watch and can have quite the personality for an invert

On a completely different note, I can't help but notice you have a gravel substrate, which is not good for cories. It damages their delicate barbels and they like nosing around in the sand, I would recommend switching. Good luck with your stocking

Maybe it just feels empty because you need a little plant life? Wanna try your hand with live plants, maybe a nice sand substrate and some wood? That often makes the tank feel more full and "real" if you get my drift

Another problem you may have is that you have a lot of different fish in a smallish tank, with no focal point. What I mean is you have a gourami, big personality, big color. Then you have platies, more of the gourami-esque personality. Guppies are also very similar. Then you have a lonely, timid cory and some (probably) timid otto's, both of who should be in schools (this will make them both more active and more comfortable in their tank). Have you thought of rehoming the guppies and platies to allow your gourami to command attention? Then you can up your schools of other fish and maybe even add some female friends for the gourami or a small school of tetras!

I see a couple problems.. yes the cories and ottos should be in groups of six or more (of their own species)..but a 20g doesnt really have enough footprint for the two schools. I would stick with one group, and up their school (given that you have a 20g long and not high) And yes, sand is pretty important for the reason posted above.

Many live plants will help your fish feel more secure, which will cause them to be out and about more. This, and having top, mid, and bottom swimmers will make your tank seem more full and active. Then again..the bigger the tank, the more fish you can have, in a sense.

The tank all started with platys and guppies for my son.. Hes 8 months old and loves watching fish swimming. My LFS said I could also put the gourami in there.. And I love it but in all reality they don't know what they're talking about. That's why I joined here, it seemed I would Google a question I had and this forum would come up answering all my questions. So thank you guys for all the help. I haven't had a tank in 15 + years before my son was born.

I will take into account about the sand.. I had no idea about the barbells on the cories nose are so delicate. Another win for fishlore !

I would switch to sand. I perfer it becuase it is more natrual looking and is much nicer for my Pygmy Cories. Adding a couple of live plants would really add some colour and the fish would enjoy it. As for stocking, I would definatley get more cories and up your number to 6+ as you will see them more anfd they will not be so stressed. A few more ottos wouldn't hurt either.

Right, I've read that too. Also someone told me if I had three of each they would be fine so I was going to pick up a couple Cory's and one more Otto I was thinking, I'm just looking for some fish with good personality

Click to expand...

Three isn't enough. They'll be much happier in a group of 6+ of the same type.

If you are going to rehome the platies and guppies, you'll only be left with the corys, the dwarf gourami, and the otos! You'll have 2 bottom dweller species, with only 1 mid to top. If I were you, I would rehome the otos and add a schooling fish to your tank.